Tony & Tony
by cjb1990
Summary: What if Tony was Tony's best friend? And vice versa? This will be short one-shots of several events in both NCIS universe and Marvel... Follows the movies, not the comics. I accept requests.
1. SWAK!

**A/N: So this popped up in my head after one to many beers. Wouldn't it be awesome if the two were good friends? So I tried to write the friendship in one of my all time favourite episodes of NCIS: SWAK. And well, this came out. It will be short little one-shots and as the summary says: I accept requests from both the IM/Avengers movies, as well as any NCIS episodes.**

 **Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, or the universes they come from... Unfortunately, we could've had SO much fun!**

 **Don't forget to REVIEW!**

 **CJB1900**

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"Where is he?" a loud voice demanded from the doors that stood open, as the team was looking on with sad expressions.

Everyone turned around to see a very well known man with an intricate beard and a very expensive suit.

"Tony Stark?" Kate mumbled through her tears, shocked to see the man standing in front of her.

"You got it, sweet cheeks," he responded. "Now where the hell is TJ?"

"TJ, dear boy?" Ducky frowned, not really believing this was happening. One of his dearest friends and colleagues was lying, dying really, in isolation, and Tony Stark walked through the doors demanding where a certain man was. It was not something he really could appreciate at the moment.

"I think you have the wrong room, Mr Stark," he replied, coldly but politely. "And if you would, there is a very sick man here, who needs absolute rest if he is to beat this disease. So if you don't mind?"

Stark's eyes immediately went to the glass walls of isolation. His eyes widened as he took in the man lying in the bad, with darkened patches of skin that indicated the cyanosis the man was suffering. He almost stumbled to the glass wall.

"TJ?" he asked, voice trembling.

Tony slowly opened his eyes, hearing the voice of one of his oldest friends. He managed to turn his head to where the voice originated.

"Stark?" he coughed out with surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Stark snorted. "You get admitted to Bethesda's isolation wards with concerns that you might have become a biohazard, and you expect me to stay in boring board meetings instead of coming here to observe first hand how much you suck at staying alive?" He smirked. "So what do you have, huh? Anthrax, small pox?"

"Genetically altered Yersina Pestis!" Ducky thundered, incensed by the lack of decorum of the genius.

"Altered … how?" Tony turned around and fixed his dark eyes on the small Scotsman.

"Altered to withstand antibiotics," Ducky whispered.

Tony paled. He couldn't believe it, this couldn't be happening! Not to Tony, not now he finally had found a spot where he belonged.

"I told you to take the offer at Stark Industries," he snarked, because sympathy from him would certainly mean the death penalty for TJ.

"And miss out on this?" Tony coughed wetly, a nurse standing by his side to wipe away the blood he coughed up.

"Yeah, this is a real fun ride!" Tony looked around him, seeing the woman standing next to the old guy in the same pyjamas that TJ was wearing.

"You sick as well?" he pointed at her.

"Just a cold, no plague in me," she answered, her voice nasal due to the cold.

"Then please stay away from me, I hate germs," he responded flippantly. "Now who the hell are you two?"

"Caitlin Todd," she answered. "I'm Tony's partner at NCIS."

"Dr. Donald Mallard, I'm the Medical Examiner at NCIS and also Tony's personal physician," the other man reluctantly informed the billionaire. "Forgive me, but how do you know Tony?"

"TJ? Oh, his old man and my old man were friends way back. He used to hang out at the brown house in the City, I used to hang out in the Mansion on Long Island. We stayed in touch, you know after the accident and the disowning bit."

"He wasn't joking about that?" Kate's eyes widened.

Stark rolled his eyes. "Of course, because nothing is more hilarious than to be kicked out by your old man at age twelve. Idiot."

With that, he turned back and stared at the Tony in the bed.

"You are not giving up, you here me?" he demanded of his friend. "You will beat this, only because I need my rabbit foot when in Vegas next month."

"Fu-, fu-," Tony coughed loudly, upheaving a lot of bloody mucus. "Funny, Stark. I'll clean you out."

"You can try, genius here. Remember?" Stark smiled at Tony, trying not to show his concern.

Before Tony could respond to that, he succumbed to the heaviest coughing fit as of yet. Tony rested a balled fist on the glass, while the doctor and nurse tried to get him through the fit. As it was, Tony could only hope to get a pause in it to heave a breath before succumbing once more. Stark had to watch on as Tony was doubling up over himself with the medical personal holding him up.

Kate gasped, putting a hand in front of her mouth as she saw her partner struggling to get a bit of air in his lungs. Ducky's arms came around her.

"He's dying, Ducky," she whispered horrified.

"The hell he is," a gruff voice denied her from behind them.

They turned to see Gibbs storming into the room. He was about to tear into isolation, when he noticed the man standing at the glass. He recognized the man immediately from the first case Tony and he had gotten at NCIS. Tony got shot, and the man had been at Bethesda before Tony was even out of surgery.

When he was recovered, Gibbs had demanded from DiNozzo what the hell his connection to the Stark family was. As it turned out, Tony Stark had helped out a whole lot in his life. He had loaned him the money to go to college, gave him clothes when he was kicked out with just a suitcase at age twelve, always had a place for his young agent when he needed it.

It was therefore no surprise to see the man here. He knew that Stark had electronic alarms set in every hospital's system in DC, to make sure he knew the minute Tony was admitted into a hospital. The man was possessive when it came to his friends.

"Stark," he nodded.

"Gibbs," Stark nodded back. 'The son of a bitch who did this?"

'Taken care of and in cuffs, though you can drop the 'son of' part," he replied.

"I knew his lady-killer ways would get him into trouble one day," Tony shook his head.

"Not really, try mother of a rape victim with a tumor in her head and a biochemical company at her disposal," Gibbs dead-panned.

Stark went through all the possibilities of high-up women in biochemical companies.

"Ah, hell," he swore. "It was that Lowell bitch, wasn't it?"

Gibbs nodded and decided he had waited long enough. He stepped through the doors, before he was stopped by the doctor.

"You can't be in here," the man made himself big to stop Gibbs from coming any closer to his patient.

"The bacteria had a self-destruction sequence build in it. It killed itself after twenty-four hours. Tony is no longer infectious," Gibbs barely had the patience to explain it to the doctor.

He stood over Tony, looking at the agent who was in such a pitiable state. He had a hard time believing that the bacteria could have wreaked such havoc on his body. It would take the man weeks to recover, after he had won from the severe pneumonia that had his body in his grasps.

The Tony outside of isolation had relaxed at Gibbs' words, he knew that TJ was no longer in the danger zone, although he was not even close to calm waters.

"Tony, why did you run of from the Senate's meeting?" a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.

Turning around he saw his PA, Ms Potts, walking through the doors on her stiletto heels.

"And why on earth are you in here?" She looked around. "You hate hospitals."

"Hate it even more when friends are lying in them," he responded with a wave behind him. "Got an update from Bethesda's patient files. He's my friend, got the plague, there was no way I wasn't going to be here."

"Tony, you don't have any friends except for Rho- … Hang on, did you just say _the plague_? As in deadly disease from the Dark Ages?" Potts looked on in full disbelief.

"Tony is a federal agent, Pep," Tony explained to his assistant, which was a rarity on itself. "It was a biological attack."

The name registered with Pepper. "Of course, you would become friends with a guy of the same name," she shook her head, as if that explained everything.

It incensed Tony. He knew he was an egotistical, arrogant ass. But if there was one good friend, it was TJ. They had seen each other through some pretty shitty times, and he would not take anyone badmouthing the man.

"Hey," he called her on it. "How about a little less judgy from you, hmm? Tony's father and mine were friends, or well business friends I suppose. He was nothing like his old man, and we really clicked. He's a pretty great guy, who has always helped me whenever I needed it. And vice versa!"

He turned back to his best friend. He hated that they now lived on opposite sides of the country, but maybe he could persuade the Director of NCIS to transfer his friend to the San Diego office. It had been way too long since the two of them went sake-bombing.


	2. How it all began

**A/N: So, this is the second chapter of the Tony &Tony story! Thank you for the reviews. **

**This chapter details the first meeting and the start of the friendship. I looked up the birthdates for both Tony's: Stark's bday is May 29** **th** **1970, for DiNozzo, wikia only gave me the year: 1968. At this point in time, it is 1975, making Stark 5 and DiNozzo 7.**

 **As I said before, I am open to requests… this chapter is written on behalf of EvE79, who wanted a flashback of how they met.**

 **Hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to review!**

 **Cjb1990**

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Tony DiNozzo was walking through the halls of the vast mansion, leaving the chaotic sounds of the party behind. He hated these kind of things, but his parents dragged him with them every single time for the last two years now. He was supposed to stand around in the ridiculous sailor suit and be silent while his parents tittered with other high class New Yorkers.

The parties would last well into the night, and his parents didn't realize that his small body wasn't equipped to dealing with those late hours, nor did they seem to realize that school at 8 in the morning was nigh impossible to handle after such late nights.

He had escaped the crowd at the earliest opportunity, which presented itself when the Stark couple had come to greet his parents. What he had heard, his father was to invest in a new plan that would create a new power source or something like that.

He hadn't waited around long enough to hear more than that, rather than take the chance to exit the stupid party. He just wanted to go home and watch a movie or sleep in his bed. As he wandered the hallways, he heard a frustrated sigh out of a half-opened door. Curious about who it was, he peered into the room.

What he saw was a mope of dark hair on a small boy. The boy was surrounded with wires and tools, and his head rested on the single little space on the desk that wasn't filled with all the stuff.

"Hi," he called out, still standing in the door opening.

The boy raised his head in a flash and turned around. The boy was young, Tony noted, younger than his 7 years old self. Maybe around four or five or something. Dark eyes were looking at him with a calculating glim.

"What are you doing here?" the young boy demanded.

"Well, my parents dragged me to this party," Tony took two steps into the room, that looked like a sort of workshop. "But they just stand around drinking alcohol and talking about boring stuff all the time. So I sneaked away."

The boy smiled at his reply. "I wasn't allowed to go to the party. My father said I would be wasting all those people's time."

"Pff," Tony scoffed. "They do that all by themselves!"

The boy snickered.

"What are you making?" Tony tried to see what was lying on the desk behind the boy's head.

"I'm trying to upgrade my motherboard I made five weeks ago, but it just doesn't seem to work out the way I want!" The boy seemed to sink back in his frustrated despondency.

Tony was impressed, the boy was young and already was he building stuff like that?

"Tell me more," he smiled winningly at the boy. He liked the younger one, plus his parents didn't want another kid but he really wanted to be an older brother.

The kid looked at him unsurely. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Tony exclaimed. "Why not? I mean, it sounds really cool, and I really don't want to go back there."

The boy grinned widely. "Okay!"

"What's your name by the way?" Tony asked the boy as he let himself be dragged to the work table.

"Anthony Edward Stark," the boy replied. "But please just call me Tony."

Tony stared at him, making Anthony roll his eyes. "Yes, yes, I am that Stark."

"No," Tony hurriedly tried to sooth his new friend. "It's just, my name is Anthony as well; Anthony DiNozzo Junior. I also like Tony better, my dad calls me Junior."

The young Stark lit up as he realized that the staring was because they shared the same name, not because of him being a Stark.

"We'll be Tony and Tony, then," he declared with a decisive nod.

"That might be a little bit confusing," Tony pointed out to him.

"Oh," Tony's brow crumpled in thought. "Well what are you going to call me, then?"

Tony's smirk made the younger boy nervous. "You're Tess."

"That's a girl's name!" the younger boy protested heavily.

"Also, it's the initials of your name," Tony explained.

TES upper lip curled into a sneer. "Well then, you're TJ!"

"Fine," Tony sighed. "So, tell me what it's all about!"

Tony, both Stark and DiNozzo, lost themselves into the intricately design of the motherboard. Stark was patient (probably for the first time in his short life) when he explained the details of the design. He was surprised by the questions the older Tony asked him.

He never really had wanted or needed to explain what he was doing. His father never really cared about what he did, his mother didn't really follow what he did, and Uncle Obediah asked stupid questions he refused to answer. Tony was different, though. He listened to what he explained attentively, asking for deeper information where he needed it, and asking the 'why didn't you…' question, to learn his process.

The talking with him gave him a clear idea of what went wrong earlier, and he asked Tony to keep on talking with him.

Both boys were deeply engrossed with their tinkering and joking around a bit, when suddenly a bellow made them freeze.

"JUNIOR!" Tony froze in fear, and slowly turned around to see the angry red face of his father. "What on earth do you think you're doing, bothering the young Mr. Stark! I thought I told you to stay with me and keep your mouth shot."

In a flash, his father was before him and dragging him out by his ear. "Bye Te- I mean by Anthony," Tony stammered as he stumbled alongside his father.

"Bye," Tony answered back, slightly afraid of the big man that apparently was his new friend's father.

On the way home, Tony was berated for his lack of finesse and his bothering the young Stark. It seemed to Tony, that his father made a lucrative deal this night. He sighed inaudibly and looked to his left, his mother was sitting with her head against the window. She seemed extremely tired, but Tony knew she just was extremely drunk and ready to pass out.

The younger Tony was still sitting at his work table, when his mother walked in.

"Darling," she came up to him, giving him a kiss on his crown. "Why aren't you in bed yet?"

"I made a friend mom," Tony replied happily. "And guess what? His name is Tony too! His parents took him with him to the party, but he was bored and he really helped me with my motherboard."

His mother smiled at the enthusiastic rant from her boy. "That sounds wonderful! Now, you can use those ideas tomorrow. It's time for bed for little inventors."

"Ah, mom," Tony complained.

"No arguments," his mother told him sternly. "Chop chop, up to bed. In a few days, why don't we give a call to your friend and let's see if he wants to come over."

Tony brightened with that idea, and without much complaining he went to bed. He had his first real friend and he couldn't wait to see him again.


	3. Buckeye Down

**A/N: Third chapter in the TnT 'verse.**

 **This is about the last football game of the 1991 season of Buckeye Anthony DiNozzo; a true show of friendship.**

 **Next chapter will be in NCIS time, I promise ...**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Cjb1990**

* * *

1991, Ohio State University Football Stadium

Tony Stark loved the feeling of not being the most important thing around. He was seated on the old bleechers, surrounded by crazed fans that were chanting the name of a different Tony. It was Michigan vs Ohio State. Or in other words; the derby that psyched up all of the campus each time it came around. He cheered just as loud as the rest of them.

He knew all the chants for the Buckeyes, courtesy of having his best friend on the team. And man, was he talented. Tony stood up with the rest of the fans, as Tony DiNozzo found a whole in the line and burst through it with the football tucked firmly under his arm.

The man was egged on by the fans that almost pushed him through every defensive player of Michigan by the mere sound they were making. Tony smiled, his friend truly was a natural. His mind had already put him behind the yard line, when out of nowhere a Michigan player tackled him from the side. In no time, there was a pile of Michigan players on top of his friend.

The whistle sounded and it took some time before everyone found themselves on their feet again. Everyone but one. Tony stepped forward when he noticed that TJ was lying on the field. With his hands grapping his leg just above his knee. Tony swallowed heavily, this couldn't be anything good. The trainers ran onto the field, followed by the team's medic.

Tony DiNozzo wasn't getting up. The big screen showed a close-up of his friend and he shivered as he could see the anguish in his eyes, even when showed on the big unfocused screen. Tony felt fear rise up, TJ was waiting for the NBA draft… And he doubted that would happen now. All of his future, everything he worked for, was gone.

 **Flashback**

 _Tony Stark sat down on the small bed that was in TJ's room. The guy was bouncing all over the place. Tomorrow was the most important football game of the year, his friend had made it to Ohio so he could see the game and his basketball coach had just told him that the NBA scouts had promised to come to the first game of the season._

 _"Man, I can't believe you're actually here!" TJ crowed happily._

 _Tony snorted. "Well, can't say Obie is really happy with me, but eh …"_

 _TJ calmed down a bit and looked at his oldest friend. "Dude, no offense but you're not even twenty-one yet. Doesn't he, I don't know, have your company to run, instead of your life?"_

 _Tony smirked at his friend, he was the only one that said that he had to do what he wanted with his life. He had graduated from MIT when he had been seventeen, magna cum laude of course. It had been his friend that had kept him alive this last couple of months. Even though he hadn't particularly liked his old man, his and his mom's death had rattled him._

 _Tony DiNozzo had showed up for the funeral, even though Obie had scheduled it on the day he had exams. When Tony had asked about it, he had simply shrugged._

 _"What? Coach knows I'm friends with you. When I told him about the funeral, he went to my professors. I have to do the exam next week."_

 _After that, Obediah Stane had wanted Tony to stay in New York or California and start to take over the company as quickly as possible. It had been TJ who had pointed out to Tony that the company statutes and his old man's will had said Tony had to be twenty-one years old at least. He had urged Tony Stark to come live in his fraternity's house for two months._

 _And they had been a blast. Tony and his brothers had really rallied around the bereft genius. They had taken him to frat parties, let him drink his weight in beer and helped him when he ended up over the toilet puking his guts out. They allowed him peace and quiet when he needed it and dragged him with them on ludicrous schemes._

 _After two months, someone from another frat house had discovered that the heir of Stark Industries was hidden in Ohio. Obediah had been there the next day to take him home. But it had given Tony enough time to build his defenses like he had desperately needed to take on the board members and the skeptics._

 _He had been hanging on the phone with TJ almost every day. TJ had kept reminding him that he had the majority share of Stark Industries and he was the one who invented most of their innovations; he should take the lead in the direction he wanted to._

 _Obediah though, hadn't been happy and managed to reel in the more outrageous schemes that left TJ and Tony himself laughing out loud._

 _He would turn twenty-one with little more than two months. Obediah was drilling him in what he needed to know about SI. TJ kept him grounded and reminded him that he was still just a twenty year old guy who was allowed to party and have fun. Tony had taken the philosophy to heart, and was partying good._

 _Tony looked at his friend. "Yeah, well, you know Obie."_

 _TJ snorted, "Sure do."_

 _TJ looked at him. "You know, when you take on the CEO job, you kinda going to need some protection."_

 _"What like a bodyguard?" Tony looked on disbelieving._

 _"Yes, exactly like a bodyguard," TJ nodded. "Man, think! You're a genius, you're going to rule the market in whatever you do!"_

 _"Well, that's obvious. But … so?"_

 _"If you're the best at something, you make enemies along the way," TJ's eyes shone as he continued. "And in ten years, when I'm too old for professional sports, I'll step back from the spotlights and protect the one person that needs it."_

 _"_ YOU _will be my bodyguard then?"_

 _"Yep! The only thing I don't know yet is how to shoot a gun, and hey you can teach me that; you can even supply me with them!"_

 _Tony laughed loudly, TJ had been his rock with his ridiculous ideas and schemes. And he loved the guy for it. Rhodey was overseas, stationed in the Middle-East somewhere. He hadn't managed to fly back for the funeral. But TJ, he really was the one he had been leaning on all this time. Sure, he had done the same for him the last couple of years (Tony was planning on bankrupting DiNozzo Senior as soon as possible), but stil…_

 _"Alright, come on Mr Bodyguard, I'll buy you dinner," Tony stood up from the bed. "You'll need some power food for the fight against the Wolverines. Not that chemical waste that passes as the contents of your refrigerator."_

 _"Come on, it's the things I can afford. Don't knock my food supply," TJ frowned._

 _Tony Stark turned around with raised eyebrows. "Seriously? Why didn't you call me. You'd allowed me to stay in the house, never asking me to pay for anything. Now, you say that you're broke?"_

 _TJ looked passed him. "I just wanted to do this on my own, prove him wrong."_

 _Tony knew immediately what he meant by that. "Senior hasn't been right for a long time about anything. And besides, you really shouldn't feel the need to prove him wrong. He's a bastard who really should learn what the term pre-nup means."_

 _TJ smiled faintly at his last comment and followed him out of his room. Time for some steaks to get him ready for the game tomorrow._

 **End Flashback**

Tony Stark stood in the door opening of the hospital room. TJ was lying on the bed, his leg elevated to keep pressure off his knee. His eyes were glued to the ceiling and his expression betrayed nothing of his emotions.

Tony Stark slowly walked into his friend's room. He hated hospital with unusual fervor, but he would brave anything to stand by his friend.

"Stark," TJ's voice was flat. Tony subdued a flinch at the tone.

"DiNozzo," he retorted. TJ sighed.

"I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning," TJ informed him quietly. "Restructive surgery on my knee. I think there isn't a ligament that hasn't been torn in there."

"Prospects?" Tony asked, knowing that TJ needed anything but pity at the moment.

"I'm finished, Tony," TJ's voice was soft, like he still couldn't believe that everything he worked for was torn apart like his knee was.

"Fuck," Tony swore.

"Yep," TJ agreed with a nod.

They were interrupted as a nurse came in with a bright smile for the patient. She informed him she was here with his pain medication, and that after surgery he'd be up and about in a jiffy.

Tony saw the muscles around his eyes contract, and knew TJ was suppressing the urge to hit or scream at the perky nurse.

She injected the medicine in his IV, and left again.

"Hey, after you're all healed up," Tony spoke. "You can be my bodyguard."

TJ snorted, but the sound quickly turned into a quiet sob. Deep, shuddering breaths got the grieve back under his control.

"Protect people, huh?" TJ mused quietly. "Maybe a bit larger than just one."

Tony wasn't a genius, and his best friend for nothing. "Law enforcement? Cause there is no chance in hell that you're going to join up. One friend in the military is quite enough, thanks."

"Yeah, maybe become a cop? I think I'd look good in blue. What do you think?"

"Sure, Tony," Tony's voice was gentle as he laid a hand on his shoulder.

His friend had been there for his darkest hour and by god, he would return the favor!


	4. Starks are not build to wait

**A/N: sorry for the long wait. here is the new chapter and this corresponds with the Macaluso op in Baltimore. one of the last (if not the last) pre-NCIS chapter.**

 **Enjoy!\Cjb1990**

* * *

"Sir, phone call from Mr DiNozzo," the cool voice from his AI sounded through his Malibu house. JARVIS was truly the pinnacle of his genius.

Tony looked up from the small chip he was working on to look at the nearest camera. "TJ? JARVIS don't be rude, put him through!"

"Of course, sir," JARVIS responded smoothly.

"Tony?" the clear voice of his old friend came over the speakers.

"TJ! I haven't heard from you in a long time. Does this mean you're cheating on me? I've heard of how partners can become best friends, and no offense to your charming partner Keates, but that is my role," Tony didn't exactly give his friend the chance to reply to any of his questions or remarks, ranting on as he was prone to do.

When he stopped talking though, the laughing voice of TJ didn't answered him. A hesitant silence lingered on the other side of the line.

"TJ?" Tony asked with a bit more emotion in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm here Stark," Tony finally replied. "Look, I called you to tell you I'm out of Philly."

"You moved?" Tony was surprised. He really thought that Tony had found his place after the disaster that was his last six months in Peoria.

"Yeah, I'm in Baltimore now," Stark couldn't really tell why, but something about this made him very uneasy.

"What aren't you telling me?" he demanded, now completely focusing on the conversation.

"Look, I may be out of touch for a while," Tony spoke as if Stark hadn't asked anything of him. "This is my shot at a gold shield, and I'm going to take it. I'm good at this Tony, so you don't need to worry."

"DiNozzo!" Tony barked, getting really anxious about this call. "What are you not telling me?"

He could hear the sigh on the other end of the line so clearly, Tony could be standing next to him.

"Undercover Tony," he finally spoke in a very low voice. "It's risky, it's scary, it's exciting. And I'm going to take these scumbags down."

"Undercover," Tony mumbled. He had been right; he didn't like this at all. His closest friend would be acting like a completely different person for god knows how long, to fit in between the criminals and catch them, with all the risks and dangers that it brought with. "That's a terrible idea. I have a better one: come work for Stark Industries."

Tony sighed, leaning back in the chair in his new crappy apartment. He had known Tony Stark would react like this. To all his grandstanding and smart-mouthing to keep the entire world at bay, he was very clingy and protective when it came to their small circle of friends.

"Yeah, that's a brilliant idea of mine. You come work for me. And not as a bodyguard, that is way too boring. I know! You can become my personal handler; nobody could kick my ass in gear as good as you could."

"How about no," Tony snorted. He loved his best friend, he really did. But he also knew that if he had to be responsible for keeping him in line he would eat a bullet sooner rather than later.

"Well, how am I supposed to get an assistant then," Tony Stark pouted, now completely focused on his problem. Genius or not, there were few who could withstand the power of deflection that Tony DiNozzo wielded.

"I don't know, find someone sharp and witty enough to deal with you," Tony bantered back.

Stark leaned back in his chair, thinking over the problem. Although they were separated by the entire country, they always had phone calls. This had mostly to do with Stark's crappy sleeping patterns, and Tony's impossible night shifts, but they managed to still make it work.

"There's no one sharp enough that I know," Stark replied matter-of-factly. "Well, there's you but you said no."

"And no it remains, Stark," Tony replied good-naturedly. He could already hear the begging begin, and he was in no mood for that. Some light bantering, keeping his spirits up, that was what he needed before he would succumb into his sleaze ball undercover persona that thought La Famiglia was holy.

"But how about a test?"

Stark sat up straight again, wondering what genius plan his friend would provide him with. "What do you mean?"

"You could send out stuff with miniscule errors in it, and then you can see who's sleeping on the job and who is on point. And who knows? Maybe there's one who does spot the error and he or she turns out to be a gift send from the heavens above."

"Hmm," Stark scratched his beard absent-mindedly. The idea had some merit, he had to admit. And the fact that it would keep his employees on their toes was something he could appreciate as well. "yeah that sounds like something that could work."

"Of course it'll work," Tony replied, "the sneaky stuff is my area of expertise, remember?"

With that comment Tony Stark's mind returned to the news his friend told him a bit earlier. "Really good effort of diversion, TJ, really good. But what can you tell me about your little promotional test?"

"It's a long term undercover op," Tony rubbed his hands over his head. "Probably will be months before I'm out again."

"What sort of operation?"Tony pressed on.

DiNozzo hesitated, could he really talk about it? Then again, if there was one civilian who knew military secrets it would be Tony Stark. Hell, three quarters of all the weapons in the US military originated from his company.

"Mafia," he blurted out before he could change his mind.

Tony Stark hissed as he heard this. This was not some light pot circle they tried to roll up. This was the heavy stuff. He wasn't sure what to say now. He didn't want to say good luck, that would mean like he approved of what his friend would be doing (which was absolutely NOT the case here). Silence would only imply he was too worried about this operation to even utter a single word. That would possibly become a distraction that could have him made.

"Oh," Tony replied, as that was the best he could come up with. It was enough for TJ though.

"Yeah," he agreed silently.

"How long do you think?"Tony asked him silently praying it was only two months.

"Probably seven to eight months," TJ confessed. "I need to get in, then get their trust, etc,"

"Dammit," Tony cursed lightly.

"I got to go," TJ said after a while. "Tomorrow is the last day of prep work. It's an early rise for me."

"Be safe," Tony urged him. "And call me the minute you can."

"I will," TJ promised and hung up.

* * *

Tony sighed and tried to focus his attention back to his innovative chip, but he couldn't even bring up a token effort to continue with it. His best friend was knowingly and willingly walking into a vicious and volatile situation. As he looked down on the tools in his hands, he tried his best to ignore they were shaking.

It had been half a year since Tony Stark last talked with his best friend. The computer chip that had been his companion during that call, had been a complete success and had revolutionized the industry. It had lifted the stocks of Stark Industries to new heights, and everyone wanted to do business with him (even though Obediah did try to curb his enthusiasm a bit, and tried to make him focus on the main part of the industries).

He had done his best to completely fall into work, booze and girls, and had succeeded with flying colors. But all through those months, his stomach was in painful knots, as the silence from the other end of the country continued. He had scoured all the available databanks for mafia bosses in and around Baltimore. He had found out exactly which one Tony had been sent into. The Macaluso family; their lists of credited assassinations, criminal records and overall idea of morals was longer than even Tony could have imagined.

He also saw that the big man (Mike) was a suave middle-aged man of Italian descend. And about three months in, Tony had found a photo of a very sleazy looking Tony DiNozzo appear in the FBI files as a new associate. He didn't know if the FBI were in on the undercover op. If they were, they weren't putting any indications in their electronic files. Tony Stark could only be glad for that; if the Macalusos had an in into the FBi files, one hint of Tony working for law enforcement and they would find his mutilated body somewhere in a dumpster around Baltimore. Or worse; he would become food for the fish. Tony snorted to himself, yeah he had become obsessed with the Godfather movies. He had no idea how true to facts the movies were, but he had no other reference readily available for him.

He looked down on the new guidance system he was putting together. It could hold for a little longer. He turned to his computer and booted up his 'Tony-watch'. As the new images appeared in front of his eyes, he could not help but smirk. The new photos showed Tony in a very smooth Italian suit (something his friend wouldn't wear unless he absolutely had to), with a beautiful caramel-colored woman at his side. His hand was very low on the girls back, and Tony could see that she was definitely sweet on him.

His eyes raked over the information that came with the new photos. Tony's eyes bulged out, apparently Mike had introduced his new buddy Antonio to his daughter and they had hit it off. Tony swallowed as he was once again reminded how fragile TJ's position was. He hoped it was worth it. That it would not end badly.

And so the next few weeks wore on. He finally had a moment were he could implement TJ's plan to find an assistant. And it worked; Virginia Potts from the accountant department (newly hired, and a bright ginger) had come to his office to point out his mistake. Tony mentally tallied one to TJ and played the act out. Virginia Potts did not let herself be convinced of her own mistake in the calculations. He promoted her on the spot.

Virginia, who apparently had gathered the appalation 'Pepper' growing up, became his assistant and it was as if she were born for the position. Of course, he didn't let her in on all aspects of his life. Sure, she handled his bills, his girls, his booze, his appointments and even sometimes cleaned up in the mornings after dark memories and panicked hallucinations took him over. He never let her in on his past and especially TJ, that was too close for him and he wouldn't share the man with anyone, he was possessive that way.

As it was, seven months after his last call on a very late evening after he came home from some sort of business dinner with Pepper pacing before him and ranting (he was not supposed to call a senator a boring shitface to his face, even though Tony knew he was a corrupt son of a bitch who blackmailed his maids with deportation) that the phone call he was waiting on for months finally came.

"Sir, phone call from Baltimore for you," JARVIS voice interrupted Pepper.

Tony jumped up and ran to his phone. " Hey!"

Potts sent him a nasty glare he completely ignored, TJ was and always would be so much more important than any rant.

"Hey Stark," TJ sounded beyond exhausted.

"Done?" Tony demanded, knowing his friend would not be up for any details even though he was dying to find out.

"It's finished yeah, all loose ends nicely tied up," a sigh followed the good news.

"How bad?" Tony's voice was soft.

"Bad, Tony," TJ's voice broke a bit as if he had trouble holding back tears. "What do you think of Vegas?"

Stark bit back the string of curses that was on his lips. He caught on what TJ was asking of him. He needed him, he needed him badly.

"Sure, we rent out Ceasar's Palace. How about next weekend?" Stark's voice was flippant, knowing that TJ would catch the hidden message; Tony Stark would drop anything right now and run to Baltimore if TJ just said the word.

"Yeah, this weekend sounds awesome," some relief shone through the exhausted tone.

"Champagne, whiskey, gambling and girls," Tony promised him.

"Thanks, Stark," the whispered reply came.

"Always," Tony replied. "Get some sleep."

With that he hung up and turned around, rubbing his forehead. He was unsure in what state TJ was, clearly he was exhausted and something happened that had cut him deeply. They needed some time away, as soon as possible to get him back on track.

"What the hell was that?" Potts voice filtered through his brain.

"What was what?" Tony still wasn't paying attention to his new assistant.

"You just decided to rent out Ceasar's Palace, for the weekend?" a sardonic lift of the eyebrow spelled trouble. He decided to cut it off before it started. She may be running pretty much his whole life now, but on this one he wouldn't budge.

"Yes," Stark's voice was cold and distant now. "Make sure to call Renaldo at Ceasar's he can make it happen. And it is not the entire Palace, just the penthouse and the smaller floor. That will be all Ms. Potts."

"Mr. Stark, you can't –"

"Yes I can, and I will," Tony interrupted her. "That will be all."

He walked down to his workshop, leaving the woman alone in his living room standing stiff at the surprising cold order. He couldn't care at the moment; he had some hacking to do and find out exactly what hell Tony went through for more than half a year.

JARVIS had anticipated him, and as the story unfolded in front of his eyes he could feel a leaden weight settle in his stomach. Dammit, how the hell could he help TJ get through all this in one weekend?


	5. Baltimore Endings

**A/N: sorry for the long silence. As i said in another sotry; i just started a new job per the first of september, and so i am very busy and have a very irregular schedule.**

 **Anyhow, here is the fifth chapter. It corresponds with the episode Baltimore, ergo: we move to NCIS, finally!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **Enjoy, CJb1990**

* * *

"DiNozzo," Tony answered his phone, his voice clearly showcasing his mood that was lower than possible.

"Wow, who died?" Tony Stark's flippant question had not the desired response.

"Trust, hell who knows? All I know is that life sucks at the moment," Tony was exhausted. He still couldn't believe what Danny had done. And that bastard Fed… He knew as well, with his superior smirk. No, that wasn't entirely true. The man had shown compassion and had left the decision up to him.

But it still seemed like the man was testing him, the Navy Cop. He recalled his own words to the man, three days prior to this evening.

" _I don't like being played. That said; well played."_

It was the same thing now. He knew he was being played, he just didn't see the end game here.

"Tony, what happened?" Stark's voice rose him out of his contemplation of Agent Gibbs.

"Danny's dirty, Tony," he blurted out.

"What?" Stark breathed out.

"I told you about the fed, right?"

"Sure, man who played you on the streets while he was undercover. Cases cross over, your murder and his money laundering, right?"

"We arrested the guy," Tony sighed, roughly rubbing his face in his hand. "Danny held him at gun point. And man, he looked so… betrayed."

"Oh," Stark replied, knowing exactly what his friend was trying to say.

"I went over there tonight," Tony continued on, seemingly ignorant of his friend's nonsense reply. "He was sending potential clients to the man. Got a nice kickback if they went into business with him."

"So, what are you going to do?" Stark asked his friend, knowing how this would rattle TJ to the extreme.

His mind went a mile a minute. The last time TJ was this down was eighteen months ago, when he had booked the impromptu Vegas trip to help him. And TJ had been a right mess back then. Their weekend had involved obscene amounts of whiskey and nights that ended with TJ in tears – something that was expressively never mentioned by either man.

Tony was now wondering if a weekend to Cabo or Bali was necesseray.

"I don't know," TJ sighed. "He is my partner. I can't just turn him over to IA. But I can't work with him, how can I trust him to watch my back. How do I know he won't screw me over because of another deal or something?"

"You don't," Stark replied bluntly. "And I hate this. I thought Baltimore was the spot for you. Although, I could have dealt without you getting shot and waiting on the other coast for JARVIS to tell me you were okay."

"One time, Tony," TJ laughed waterly. "It was one time, which is really not that bad considering."

"Yeah," Stark replied, knowing that TJ was coming to his own conclusions.

"I have to quit," TJ's voice was small. "Ready for that bodyguard?"

"I can always use a second one, besides Happy."

"I thought he was your chauffeur?" Tony allowed himself to be sidetracked.

"Chauffeur, sparring partner – since you're not here, bodyguard, partner in crime," Stark listed off. "Hell he is whatever I want him to be, I pay him enough for it."

"Plus, he is your friend," Tony contradicted Stark as the genius tried to pass Happy off as another employee.

"Right," Stark's awkwardness was almost tangible over the phone. He didn't do emotions well, outside of his friendship with TJ. But then, TJ had been there for everything in a way nobody else was. He and TJ, they had been through too much to allow something like attitude to come between them.

"On a different note, I'll be on the east coast on Friday," Stark changed the subject.

"New York?"

"DC."

"Cool, I'll be there as well on Friday," TJ replied, sounding happier at the prospect of seeing his friend. "Have to finish the last signatures with NCIS then. So, let's meet up for dinner?"

"Sure, I'll ditch Pepper and Happy at some point anyhow," Tony was excited, it was way too long since he had seen TJ and he knew the other man needed him right now. Desperately.

"You know, it wouldn't kill either of us if one of them see me," TJ sounded amused at the subterfuge Stark was ready to put on to sneak away.

"Nah, they'll steal you away and turn you against me."

"Paranoid much?" TJ snorted.

"Hey, you were the one who always says people are out to get me now that I run SI. So no, I'm not paranoid."

"I was talking about people kidnapping you or something like that. Not Pepper playing mind games and manipulating your friends."

"Meh, it's all the same," Stark answered him with a smirk.

"Of course it is, Stark," Tony's sarcasm dripping over the speaker.

"So, I call you Friday?" Stark confirmed/

"See you Friday," TJ agreed and hung up after a few minutes of silence.

* * *

Friday came and with it a huge surprise. TJ and Tony had agreed to meet in a restaurant near the Capitol, considering that Tony was in meetings with senators all afternoon and didn't want to travel too far to eat.

Stark was already seated, sipping his drink with vigor. He smiled broadly as he saw TJ approaching and lifted his glass in greeting. He couldn't help but chuckle as he looked the maître d's look of disdain that followed TJ and his leather bomberjacket and faded jeans. The place was an uptight black tie sort of place, and he himself was in a suit worth more than three paycheck's of the maître d'.

It seemed TJ was riling the guy up, after being refused entrance to the place at first. He was in fine form tonight and Tony decided he was going to play right into the game.

"TJ!" he bellowed with a wide smirk. "Come here you old bastard! You and me have a bottle of whiskey to finish!"

The maître d' froze at the words out of Tony Stark's mouth. He was ready to sink through the floor out of embarrassment. He almost refused entrance to a friend of Tony Stark!

"What took you so long at the door?" it seemed the universe was not kind to our dear maître d', who could see the manager approaching at the loud question of Mr. Stark. He just knew he was going to get fired, the sneers he made towards Stark's friend would make sure of that. Why did he say all those things?

"Is there a problem Mr. Stark?" the manager introduced himself in the conversation.

Stark looked at TJ, the question clear for the friends; should they continue or nod. With a shrug and a self-deprecating smile, TJ made his feelings clear.

"Not at all good sir," Stark replied. "Just, that this man here was a bit hesitant to leave the bottle on the table."

"Well, of course you can buy the whole bottle Mr. Stark," the manager immediately gave in, while his employee looked ready to pass out in relief.

"Great, thanks," Stark replied. "Sit down, TJ."

The maître d' almost fell over his own feet, trying to clear the chair of the table for Stark's guest.

When the two were left alone by the personnel, TJ and Tony looked at each other and chuckled fondly.

"Arrogant prick will think twice before snubbing someone at the door," Stark smirked.

"Poor guy," TJ agreed without much sympathy.

"So, how was your day dear?" Tony Stark was blinking lavishly at the other man.

"Don't EVER do that again, Stark," TJ exclaimed. "That is wrong and disturbing on so many levels."

TJ took a swig of the drink in front of him, allowing the exquisite taste to flow through his mouth. He waited until Tony took a sip. "I just became a Federal Agent."

His timing had been perfect as Tony Stark performed a spit take with the very expensive whiskey. His eyes watered as he choked loudly into a napkin.

"You did that on purpose," he accused his friend with squinted eyes.

"Yes, I did," TJ confessed easily.

"You, a Fed?" Stark looked disbelieving.

"Yep," TJ nodded.

"You hate, detest, abhor and disdain anything that has only even remotely to do with the FBI," Stark kept on staring at his friend.

"Ah," TJ nodded and took another sip. "I won't be FBI."

Silence ensued.

"Not?" Tony echoed weakly.

"Not," TJ nodded, smiling at how he had rendered his best friend speechless. It didn't happen every day that the genius was at a loss for words. But Tony had managed it tonight, and he took great pride and satisfaction in that fact.

"So, where are you going to work?" Stark finally broke and asked the question.

"NCIS," TJ replied.

"The Navy Cop convinced you?" Tony was stunned, he couldn't believe that the bastard Navy Cop had rallied his best friend. He had to be someone of true integrity to get to TJ that fast.

Tony shrugged self-consciously. "He understood why I had to walk away and let Danny be. He only said 'he's your partner'. Just like you, he got it. Plus, he hit me on the back of the head and told me his rule number five is 'Don't waste good'. Then told me I was good. All this happened while he was sneakily leading me to the job application office, where the very fetchy Loretta was working."

"You forgetting something?" Stark shot back amused.

"What?"

"Oh, I don't know… your fiancée, Wendy perhaps?"

"Yeah, I don't know how she's going to react to this. But this is my last shot, Stark. If this isn't somewhere I can stick around, well…"

"I'll be one employee richer, and my friend would be in closer distance. Way closer distance," Stark finished for him. "That option will always be open TJ, and you know it."

Stark sat back while TJ nodded at him gratefully. The men didn't need any more words to know what was between them. So, Stark switched to an account to his meetings with the senators (which mostly involved elaborate descriptions of the senators using derogatory remarks and animal metaphors).

TJ could finally tell Stark all about how he proposed to Wendy, which made Tony snort and call him a hopeless romantic moron.

When both men left that night, they were both reassured that the other would be well. TJ knew that Tony would continue to keep him a secret, for now at least. But he didn't do it because he was scared to lose that bond with TJ, he just didn't want the madness that was SI and Stark's life in general to interfere with their friendship.

Stark was relieved to know that the bastard agent Gibbs apparently had gifted Tony with a lifeline. He hoped the man was true to his word, and would honor the trust that was so shaky but still bestowed on the agent. His friend would be okay, he knew.


End file.
